Motorcycle QP 566
Motorcycle QP 566
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A long motorcycle journey through remote Africa didn't have anything in common with touring on the paved roads of Europe or the United States. For centuries Berbers, Touaregs and Bedouin nomads traversed the Sahara in camel caravans. In Central Africa traders and tribesman used the lattice work of rivers for transport.
When I planned my road trip through Africa, a journey that eventually would take me twenty-five thousand kilometers through desert and jungle on a motorcycle, the only bike that I ever considered was a BMW. It was a machine that was engineered to withstand the withering heat and sand of the Sahara and robust enough to carry a heavy load on the rutted, uneven jungle trails of the Congo Basin.
In 1972 there wasn’t another motorcycle on the market that was comparable to a BMW for dependability and durability, essential requirements in the harsh terrain that I traveled in. No matter how tough the going was, my motorcycle was always equal to the task.
Traveling through Africa by motorcycle in remote unpopulated areas where there was only a rudimentary road net, was a daunting undertaking. Before I set out, I made a mental list of the motorcycles that were available. I had riding experience from some of them and had owned others.
Harley Davidsons weren’t on that list. They were heavy, clumsy and thirsty, okay for highway police or outlaw bikers in black leathers cruising down smooth interstates, but not machines you’d want to take into the deep desert or jungle.
Nor were flashy custom-built choppers with their seductive, throaty rumble, lots of chrome, high handlebars, and fancy saddlebags.
This wasn’t a trip for a shiny café racer either. Triumphs, BSAs and Nortons weren’t on my list, nor were Ducatis or Moto Guzzis. They were all temperamental oil-leakers that lacked the dependability of a BMW and with their weak suspensions would have shaken themselves and us to pieces on the rough roads.
The BMW didn’t have the same character or soul as the Harleys, English or Italian rides. Its motor didn’t roar; it had a tight vibrationless whirring that bespoke precision and balance.
Technical Stuff for the Interested
Advantages of an Enclosed Drive Train
On a hard surfaced highway, a motorcycle drive chain needed very little maintenance. On the I bikes I serviced in India that were used on unpaved roads, I removed and inspected the chains and gears regularly, washed them in kerosene, knocked out a link and shortened them if they had stretched from wear, and then lubricated them by submerging them in hot oil. If the chain was badly worn and needed replacing, I’d also replace both the transmission and drive sprockets.
There wasn’t a possibility of doing that job in the desert, and a worn chain and sprocket were a real danger. A chain that jumped a tooth could cause a serious accident. A broken chain was a danger to the rider and could cause a total stop in the motorcycle’s gearbox.
Sand was a problem. When it mixed with the chain lubricant it would create a grinding paste that would quickly wear down the chain, the front and rear sprockets and their oil seals.
One of my main reasons for choosing the BMW was that instead of the conventional chain drive, it had a drive shaft that was located inside the rear swing arm and ring and pinion gears that were tucked away inside the back wheel hub. By enclosing the entire rear drive system, the frequent need to disassemble, clean and eventually replace a worn chain and sprocket was eliminated.
Motorcycle Specifications – BMW R 75/5
The 25-liter (6.3 gallon) tank was ideal and the largest of any motorcycle on the market. (We carried 40 liters of extra fuel.)
Petrol mileage at a constant speed of 100 kph 20 km per liter, approximately 50 to 60 mpg. at 60 mph (half that in deep sand)
The weight wet was 210 kilos (463 lb.)
The heart of the motorcycle was its 750-c.c. two-cylinder boxer engine @ 54 hp.
Gearbox- four speed with an automotive type dry clutch
Adjustable suspension front and rear
Engine
The BMW’s engine was technically called an “opposed cylinder engine”, or “boxer engine.” In the desert the protruding cylinders of the “boxer engine” cooled much better than the in line, upright cylinders on a conventional dual cylinder motorcycle.
The airflow that would cool the back cylinder on a conventional engine was partially blocked by the front cylinder and airflow to both cylinders was blocked by their being in line with the front wheel.
This was a disadvantage in the searing heat of the desert. On the “boxer engine,” the cooling of each cylinder was equal, and the vibrationless momentum of its opposed cylinders reduced wear on all of its components.
Weight – suspension
Weight was a major consideration. We were always heavily loaded and driving on corrugated, uneven surfaces that increased the wear and tear on the whole machine, and especially on the suspension.We were not only driver and passenger on the bike, we were carrying spare parts, water, extra fuel, food, a tent and sleeping bags, an extra tire and inner tube, tools, a camping stove and pots, and a few utensils.
On other motorcycles that I had owned and serviced, it wasn’t unusual to replace worn and leaking hydraulic seals on the front wheel forks. Defective front shock absorbers caused vibration wear on other components. Replacing them was a major job even in a well-equipped workshop with the correct tools and spare parts, but the suspension on the BMW, like the rest of the machine was robust and never needed repair.
Fuel
We filled up on fuel where ever we could find it usually from a 55-gallon drum with a hand pump. I was always worried about impurities or some kind of contamination, or just low octane, but never had a problem.
The screen filters in the tank did the job and never needed cleaning and the low compression boxer engine never reacted negatively to poor-quality fuel. The BMW R 75/5 also had a six-gallon tank, the biggest fuel tank on any standard motorcycle.
Electric starter
Who kick starts a big motorcycle anymore?
Part of the glamour and macho of motorcycling was kick-starting a big engine and feeling it roar to life, but there was a technique to it. Kick starting a bike was the equivalent of throwing a saddle up on a horse, you had to combine gentleness with decisiveness.
Open the fuel valves, prime the carbs, then move the shift lever up and down to find neutral and roll the bike a few inches back and forth to make sure it wasn’t in gear.
You pumped the starter lever lightly a few times to find the compression stroke, and then put your full weight on it and followed through, eventually repeating the process until it started.A half-hearted kick might give you a broken ankle if the engine backfired.
On the BMW when we stalled in deep desert sand every few minutes, I was more than happy just to push the starter button to restart the engine.
Dependability
In Africa avoid breakdowns because there were no spare parts of any kind for an exotic bike like a BMW.
If I needed motorcycle parts I couldn’t have them FedExed or air-mailed to me in the jungle or desert. The wilds of North and Central Africa had no amenities.
There was a possibility that I could find a lorry that was headed north and put the bike on it, because finding parts or help south of the Mediterranean coast was not a possibility, and I knew from experience that shipping parts could take months and that customs declarations and import restrictions were the stuff of nightmares.
Maintenance
To protect the engine from undue wear, I changed the oil and filter cartridge often. That is always the most important service on any engine especially in an environment of blowing sand and dusty roads. The BMW had effective automotive type oil and air filters as opposed to most other bikes.
History
BMW motorcycles were renowned for their quality and dependability and were specifically designed for the desert. They were engineered to give the German army’s mobilized troops fighting in the Northern Sahara during the Second World War dependable transportation in the extreme desert environment.
The motorcycle was developed with protruding cylinders that had superior cooling properties compared to conventional engines that overheated easily in the blistering heat.
Most importantly, the BMW also used an enclosed drive shaft that performed better and was more durable than chain drives that were easily damaged by desert grit.
Conclusion
The vast, rugged terrain of the African continent called for a motorcycle that was robust and problem free. A BMW was a resilient, proven machine that was at home both in the desert and jungle. There were many motorcycles that were more glamourous, but none that were more dependable.
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